China

Taiwan

Military & Security

The deputy director-general of Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA), Hsieh Ching-chin, told lawmakers on July 1 that Taiwanese ships should ignore boarding and inspection requests from Chinese vessels.

Taiwan: Coast Guard Official Pledges Intervention With Chinese Vessels, Raising Escalation Risks 

Japan

Economics

China's commerce ministry on June 29 announced it was adding 20 Japanese companies to its export control list, cutting off their access to China's list of dual-use exports like rare earths, with the ministry noting the measures are aimed at "deterring Japan's reckless pursuit of 'new-type militarism."

China, Japan: China Curbs Exports to More Japanese Companies Over Military Modernization

After a two-seater, private airplane crashed into CITIC Tower, Beijing's tallest skyscraper, on June 26, Financial Times sources claim that flights at recreational airports nationwide, along with all drone flights, were steadily grounded over June 27-28, with only commercial cargo and passenger flights allowed.

China: Crash Grounds Flights Nationwide, Impedes 'Low-Altitude Economy'

United States

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Politics

Science & Technology

The U.S. Trump administration preemptively asked U.S. artificial intelligence company OpenAI to limit the release of its GPT-5.6 model to a small set of government-approved organizations before releasing the model more widely, The Intercept reported on June 25.

U.S.: Trump Administration Asks OpenAI To Limit Release of Next Frontier Model

U.S.-China Relations

In a letter to two U.S. senators dated June 10, U.S. artificial intelligence company Anthropic accused Chinese company Alibaba of "illicitly" extracting the capabilities of its Claude AI model at the "largest" levels that the AI lab has measured, the Financial Times reported on June 24.

U.S., China: Anthropic Accuses Alibaba of More Distillation Attacks

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick told corporate executives in a June 22 meeting that the Commerce Department was reviewing state-subsidized robotics imports and could take significant action against them once the review is completed.

China, U.S.: Commerce Secretary Lutnick Hints at Restrictions on Chinese Robots

Philippines

A Philippine navy frigate was conducting a patrol near the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on June 20 when it was confronted and shadowed by four Chinese warships, the South China Morning Post reported on June 23.

China, Philippines: Scarborough Shoal Patrol Draws Chinese Naval Response

Malaysia

Bangladesh

India

Bangladesh's Prime Minister Tarique Rahman met with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to discuss strengthening bilateral relations across a range of sectors, including trade, investment and energy, The Daily Star reported on June 22.

Bangladesh: Rahman Visits Malaysia and China

Columns

On Geopolitics

Chinese President Xi Jinping (center) and Premier Li Qiang attend a plenary session of China's National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People on March 9, 2026, in Beijing, China.

Social Issues

Beijing will prioritize employment and social stability over rapid economic growth in the coming years, pressuring businesses to boost hiring and expand benefits amid demographic pressures, rising youth unemployment and AI-related job disruptions.

China Plans To Stabilize Employment in an Age of Change

Assessments

Computer chips are seen on top of the U.S. and Chinese flags.

The Trump administration's recent shift to a more restrictive, ad-hoc licensing regime for frontier AI models risks slowing U.S. innovation and giving Chinese rivals a competitive advantage.

From Laissez-Faire to Licensing: Understanding Trump's Evolving AI Strategy

Colombia

Venezuela

Abelardo de la Espriella, who has since been declared president-elect, waves to supporters after casting his vote during the runoff election on June 21, 2026, in Barranquilla, Colombia. 

Energy

De la Espriella's administration will reverse many of the outgoing government's security, economic and social policies, restoring a hard-line anti-crime approach and deepening ties with the United States.

What de la Espriella's Victory Means for Colombia

Europe

A digital illustration of Europe.

The EU's push to reduce its reliance on foreign technology suppliers risks angering both China and the U.S., while execution will be hindered by domestic industrial constraints and internal political divisions.

Key Takeaways From the EU's Tech Sovereignty Package

Peru

Iran

Israel

Lebanon

North Korea

Armenia

Russia

A banner depicting the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on June 3 in Tehran. There will be an elevated risk of sporadic U.S.-Iran clashes over the next week, as no signs of a diplomatic breakthrough in U.S.-Iran negotiations on a memorandum of understanding have emerged.

U.S.-Iran Relations

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Armenian Elections, Xi Goes to North Korea

Media

Podcasts

How has U.S. grand strategy in the Pacific changed over time?

The Decision Advantage: Taiwan Arms Sales and the U.S.-China Trade War

Snapshots

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) gestures to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un before a military parade in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Sept. 3, 2025. 

North Korea's growing relations with Russia and potential reengagement with the U.S. appear to be driving China to pursue a rapprochement after years of diplomatic inaction.

Xi-Kim Summit Signals a Thaw in Long-Frozen Ties Between China and North Korea

Australia

Fiji

(From left to right) Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hold a joint press conference after their Quad meeting in New Delhi on May 26, 2026.

The meeting proved the grouping is still functional, but it faces strong constraints in turning ambitious coordination frameworks into functional maritime, infrastructure, critical minerals and energy initiatives that blunt Chinese regional influence.

Takeaways From Quad Summit: New Initiatives, Enduring Constraints and Future Uncertainty

Mexico

South Korea

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sept. 3, 2025, in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

The Weekly Rundown: Elevated Tensions in the Middle East, Putin Heads to Beijing

U.S. President Donald Trump (right) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14, 2026.

Despite a mutual desire to stabilize relations, Xi and Trump's meetings produced few tangible results, sustaining the risk of future tariff escalations, export restrictions and other coercive measures.

Xi-Trump Talks Fail To Move the Needle on Major Issues

U.S. President Donald Trump (right) and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a bilateral meeting in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30, 2025.

The May 14-15 meetings will likely yield a limited extension of the current U.S.-China economic detente while leaving core strategic disputes over technology controls, Taiwan and Iran largely unresolved.

Trump-Xi Summit Likely To Preserve Trade Truce, Test Strategic Fault Lines

Kenya

France

United Kingdom

Boats on April 28, 2026 on Qeshm Island, Iran, in the Strait of Hormuz. Tensions between the United States and Iran will remain elevated, especially around the strait, following the May 7 U.S.-Iran exchange of attacks and Iranian attacks against the United Arab Emirates.

The Weekly Rundown: Elevated Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, France Convenes an Africa Summit

<p>China is situated on the eastern third of the Eurasian landmass, between Russia, mainland Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. Its more than 9,000 mile-long coastline abuts the Yellow, East and South China Seas. China is a country of deep geographic divisions. Most fundamental is the split between its fertile eastern lowlands and the arid, sparsely populated highlands that enclose the lowlands like a shell. More than a billion people live in the ethnic Han Chinese core, making it one of the most densely populated places on Earth. Traditionally, threats to China&#39;s Han core originated in the borderlands. To guard against overland invasion, successive Chinese rulers have sought to push the Core&#39;s borders outward &mdash;integrating these highlands as strategic &quot;buffer&quot; zones. These zones form a shield, protecting and containing the core. To be secure, China must control the buffer regions. But maintaining control of the regions, in turn, requires a strong and united core. And that means overcoming immense internal divisions &mdash; not only between northern and southern regions orbiting the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, but also between smaller regional units, each with their own geography, history, dialect and interests. Chinese history is defined by cycles of unity and fragmentation, from periods when a strong Han core captures and holds the surrounding buffers to those when a weak core breaks into its constituent parts, loses internal coherence and cedes control of the borderlands. This pattern, rooted in China&#39;s geography, has played out with remarkable consistency. By comparison, China&#39;s maritime interests have remained mostly limited to coastal waters. Today, however, growing international trade and rising Chinese reliance on overseas resources threaten to alter the pattern, adding a new maritime dimension to the struggle for buffer space &mdash; and potentially upending the long-standing dynamics of China&#39;s geographic challenge.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

Taiwan: Coast Guard Official Pledges Intervention With Chinese Vessels, Raising Escalation Risks

China, Japan: China Curbs Exports to More Japanese Companies Over Military Modernization

China: Crash Grounds Flights Nationwide, Impedes 'Low-Altitude Economy'

U.S.: Trump Administration Asks OpenAI To Limit Release of Next Frontier Model

U.S., China: Anthropic Accuses Alibaba of More Distillation Attacks

China, U.S.: Commerce Secretary Lutnick Hints at Restrictions on Chinese Robots

China, Philippines: Scarborough Shoal Patrol Draws Chinese Naval Response

Bangladesh: Rahman Visits Malaysia and China

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